Tracey Clive Walter (born November 25, 1947) is an American character actor.[1] He has appeared in over 100 films and television series. Appeared in WKRP in Cincinnati, season 1 episode 11 at the end.
Life and career[]
Walter was born in and grew up in Jersey City, New Jersey, the son of a truck driver.[2] He attended St. Anthony's High School there and played basketball.[3] He has a son and daughter.[3]
He is known for his portrayal of "sidekicks" and "henchmen" such as Bob the Goon in Batman, Cookie in City Slickers, and Malak in Conan the Destroyer.[1] He portrayed Frog Rothchild Jr. on the ABC sitcom Best of the West from 1981-82.[1]
Walter has acted in six Jonathan Demme films: Something Wild (1986), Married to the Mob (1988), The Silence of the Lambs (1991), Philadelphia (1993), Beloved (1998), and The Manchurian Candidate (2004).[1] He has been directed by Danny DeVito in three films: Matilda (1996), Death to Smoochy (2002), and Duplex (2003). He acted with and was directed by Jack Nicholson in The Two Jakes (1990). He and Nicholson have appeared in nine films together, beginning with Goin' South in 1978.[1]
He appeared in a small role with Clint Eastwood in the 1982 film Honkytonk Man[1] and has coined the phrase "Right Cheer" (as in right here) while playing a service station attendant as well as "Make 'Em Bounce" (as in happy) from the movie Raggedy Man.[citation needed] His portrayal of Miller, the philosopher mechanic of Alex Cox's Repo Man,[1] earned Walter a Saturn Award in 1985 for Best Supporting Actor. In the 2000 film Erin Brockovich, Walter played Charles Embry, the PG&E employee who supplied the memo that tied an executive at the PG&E corporate headquarters to knowledge of the Hinkley station water contamination.
Walter's television credits include guest appearances on Taxi, Charlie's Angels, Hill Street Blues, Amazing Stories, Moonlighting, David Lynch's On the Air, Melrose Place, The Division, Veronica Mars, Criminal Minds and Cold Case. He appeared on Nash Bridges as Angel from 1996–2001 and on Reno 911! as Sheriff Walter Chechekevitch from 2003–2006.
Filmography[]
Film[]
Selected filmography[]
- Hardcore (1979) as Male Teller
- City Slickers (1991) as Cookie
- Amos & Andrew (1993) as Bloodhound Bob
- Philadelphia (1993) as Librarian
- Matilda (1996) as FBI Agent
- Desperate Measures (1998) as Medical Inmate
- Drowning Mona (2000) as Clarence
- Erin Brockovich (2000) as Charles Embry
- The Man from Elysian Fields (2001) as Bartender
- Masked and Anonymous (2003) as Desk Clerk
Television[]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | 1978 | Starsky and Hutch | Leo | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | Charlie's Angels | Clint Mason | Episode: "An Angel's Trail" | ||||
| 1986-1987 | Designing Women | Malcolm Box | |||||
| 1990 | Get a Life | The Ride Operator |